WRITING TASK 2: Solitary lifestyle

In some countries, people are choosing to live alone more often than in the past.

What are the reasons for this, and is this a positive or negative trend?

In recent years, there has been a marked tendency towards single living in place of shared living. This phenomenon can be attributed to the changes in societal values and its consequences on people's emotional well-being might be highly detrimental.

To begin with, the increasing desire for self-sufficiency and individualism has contributed to more people opting for solo living. In the past, interdependence and communal living were strongly emphasized, which was evidenced in the large number of multi-generational families. However, this is no longer the case nowadays when contemporary citizens tend to set great store by self-reliance and the freedom to pursue their interests. As a result, they turn to self-contained living as it allows them to gain more control over their lifestyles and living environment.

However, I firmly believe the shift towards individual living might go hand in hand with negative impacts on one's mental well-being. This is because solo occupancy is synonymous with less physical interaction with others, resulting in feelings of loneliness and isolation. Such negative emotions, if sustained for a long time, can translate into depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Some may argue that the problem of insufficient physical contact could be effectively tackled by social platforms for they enable people to stay connected with the help of an internet-connected device. Nonetheless, I would contend that such gadgets cannot fully replace in-person interactions since research has shown that physical touch plays an indispensable role in building trust between individuals and promoting overall mental wellness.

In conclusion, the rise of solo living in modern society can be explained by the inclination towards personal autonomy and this development might adversely affect one's psychological health. To mitigate these effects, people living alone should be encouraged to participate in community events to cultivate social connectedness, thereby leading fulfilling lives.

The thesis statement for the topic should have been divided into 2 sentences. The presentation asks you to respond to 2 questions, so use separate sentences to represent the answers. The questions must be responded to in individual formatting for task accuracy considerations and also, C+C expectations. The prompt restatement is acceptable.

The reasoning paragraphs are well thought out. These are easy to understand and the examples used, though sometimes too descriptive, really drives home your discussion point. It is obvious that you know what you are talking about. However, you need to remember that combined ideas in sentences create low scoring run on sentences and could result in deductions in relevant scoring sections. Always divide the ideas into sentences, that works best for the scoring considerations.